Putting the Whole Bible Together: Five biblical theologians share what they have learned about the storyline of the Bible

In the most recent issue of Credo Magazine, “What’s the Big Story?”, there was an article called, “Putting the Whole Bible Together: Five biblical theologians share what they have learned about the storyline of the Bible.” In this roundtable discussion, Matthew Barrett, executive editor of Credo Magazine, talked with some of the best biblical theologians today and asks some penetrating questions in order to better understand how biblical theology should impact the way we read, interpret, and even preach the Bible. These biblical theologians included: Thomas Schreiner, T. Desmond Alexander, Gregory K. Beale, Peter J. Gentry, Stephen Wellum.

To get you started, here is the first question and answer with Thomas Schreiner:

Thomas Schreiner is the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the author of The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments.

In your new book, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments, you structure your treatment book-by-book, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation, rather than topically or thematically. Nevertheless, in your estimation, what are some of the most important themes that characterize the story of redemptive history from the Old Testament to the New Testament?

You will not be surprised to learn that I think one of the most important themes is kingdom! God is the king and sovereign of the world, and human beings are to rule the world by trusting and obeying him for his glory. Of course, Adam and Eve failed to trust and obey God and hence sin and death entered into the world. One of the major themes of Scripture, then, is how God reclaims his rule over the world through human beings. The promise of Genesis 3:15 is programmatic. God’s victory, God’s reign, will become a reality through the offspring of the woman who will crush the serpent.

Another central theme is “seed” or “offspring.” The Lord will triumph through the offspring of the woman (Gen. 3:15). From the beginning of Genesis we see a conflict between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent. Everyone enters the world as the offspring of the serpent, but God promises (the promise is another major theme!) that the offspring of the woman will triumph. We see the conflict between Abel and Cain and between Noah and the flood generation. Clearly, the offspring of the woman are few and far between. After the flood the Lord promises that the promise of Genesis 3:15 will be fulfilled through a child of Abraham. The promise narrows even more as the story unfolds, for it is revealed that the promise will be fulfilled through a son of David, through a king. Here we pick up the theme of the Messiah, the Anointed one, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the offspring of the woman, the true son of Abraham, the true son of David, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. The people of God, then, are those who are the offspring of the woman, or as the New Testament puts it they are the church, the body of Christ. Those who belong to Christ are the true Israel of God and the true children of Abraham.

Another prominent theme is the land. God’s rule over the world begins in the garden, which many have rightly said is a garden temple. Adam’s role is to extend God’s rule over the entire world. He fails, of course, but as the story unfolds we see God’s plan for blessing the entire world. The land of Canaan is, so to speak (though still corrupted by the fall), a new Eden. Israel, however, can’t even rule this small piece of real estate, for they constantly give themselves to other gods and fail to trust him as they should. Indeed, we see here another major theme in the Scriptures: the sinfulness and corruption of human beings.  Under Jesus Christ, however, the promise of the land becomes expanded to the entire world, even the entire universe. All of creation will be God’s temple and his dwelling place.

I mentioned in passing in the last paragraph the notion of sin. Certainly one of the major themes of Scripture is salvation, the rescue of God’s people. Israel’s exodus from Egypt, her redemption, certifies that God will deliver those who belong to him. The theme of the exodus is picked up in the prophets, and they promise that a new exodus is coming. In the NT the salvation promised is described in multifaceted ways: salvation, redemption, justification, sanctification, triumph over evil powers, adoption, etc. No one term can do justice to the great salvation God accomplishes for his people.

As I said previously, God’s triumph over his enemies would come through the offspring of a woman, who would be the offspring of Abraham and a son of David. He would be a king. But how will this king bring victory? How will he triumph over his enemies? Many texts in the Old Testament teach that he will destroy his foes, but as the story unfolds it is slowly revealed that this king will triumph through suffering. As the Servant of the Lord he will suffer for the sake of his people and atone for their sins. Israel and Judah were cast into exile because of their sin, and Israel was under the thumb of the Romans because of their sin. Hence, the fundamental need for Israel and for all people is the forgiveness of sins. Such forgiveness of sins is promised in the new covenant, and the NT emphasizes in a multitude of ways that such forgiveness is achieved through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I will mention one last theme here. What is the goal of the biblical story? It is to see the King in his beauty. Knowing God, delighting in God, and loving God are the heart and soul of the story. Adam and Eve delighted in God in the garden before the Fall, and we will delight in God in the heavenly city in the new creation. God has saved us through Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit so that we will find our joy and delight in him.

Read the rest of this discussion today!

To view the Magazine as a PDF

What’s the Big Idea Story?

Why Biblical Theology Should Matter to Every Bible-Believing Christian

When the sixteenth-century Reformation erupted, one of the alarming dangers that became blatantly obvious to reformers like Martin Luther was the pervasiveness of biblical illiteracy among the laity. It may be tempting to think that this problem has been solved almost five hundred years later. However, in our own day biblical illiteracy in the pew continues to present a challenge. Many Christians in our post-Christian context simply are not acquainted with the storyline of the Bible and God’s actions in redemptive history from Adam to the second Adam.

With this concern in mind, the current issue of Credo Magazine strives to take a step forward, in the right direction, by emphasizing the importance of “biblical theology.” Therefore, we have brought together some of the best and brightest minds to explain what biblical theology is, why it is so important, and how each and every Christian can become a biblical theologian. Our hope in doing so is that every Christian will return to the text of Scripture with an unquenchable appetite to not only read the Bible, but comprehend God’s unfolding plan of salvation.

Contributors include: Justin Taylor, Darian Lockett, Edwards Klink III, David Murray, Stephen Dempster, James Hamilton, T. Desmond Alexander, Stephen Wellum, Peter Gentry, G. K. Beale, Graham Cole, and many others.